Am awaiting a 24v 6.5amp power supply so I decided to do a test.

I have some 116oz bipolar stepper motors and using Xylotex control board. While waiting for some parts to complete my cnc router I decided to perform a drive test.

Using a 12v, 7amp switching power supply from a computer (instead of 24v) I connected controller and motors, and as instructions said I set the VRef to about 3.6volts.

I was dissapointed to see that the stepper motors lost quite a bit of steps. In my test setup the motors were connected to the screws but not to anything else.

I always believed that it was amperage and not voltage that provided the torque, but was easily able to get them to loose steps with just a little bit of drag by pinching the screw with my finger tips.

Was this a valid test? and will the 24v power supply really make the difference?